kids who had tonsilectomies pls come in

njbride0603 · February 2012

DD is scheduled for her surgery on the 27th adenoids too....experiences? I'm freaking out a little bit

doesnt help that im 6 weeks post partum too!

WestwoodDriveMel · February 2012

Hi, I don't usually post on here but happened to see this. My DD (age 4) just had tonsils and adenoids removed last week. The surgery went great, but recovery is rough. I don't want to make you worry, but know that it's a long road, we're still going through a lot one week after. And I know it's probably different for every child, but I'll let you know what our experience was like.

The first day she was really out of it from anesthesia. They kept her in the hospital about 3 hours following the surgery and tried to get her to take small bites of a freezie pop. That didn't do over well; she just wanted me to hold her and sleep. She was prescribed pain medication to use every 4-6 hours, and we are still giving it to her round the clock now. It's important to wake them at night to give it to them so they don't wake up in a ton of pain - because it's really hard to get them to take it if they are in pain.

Try also as much as you can to give her fluids and popsicles - she was not allowed to use straws or sippy cups, just fyi. Just small sips or bites on popsicles as much as she can tolerate - they actually recommended 40 ounces of fluids a day which seemed like a ton, especially when she did not want to try anything... but it helps prevent dehydration and keeps them more comfortable.

The second and third day got a lot better - she actually wanted to try the popsicles and drink juice and water. Just cold foods for the first few days. Jello is also good. She did ok and seemed to be starting to get a lot better. I thought, well this really isn't so bad.

4th day she got a bad fever and it seemed like her pain was getting worse. 6th-7th days were the worst - I guess that's when they start to scab up and it can be really painul. It hurt her to swallow and hurt when she laid down to try to sleep. The best advice I can give you is to keep her as comfortable as possible and try to get her to drink cool fluids to help the pain, and keep up with the pain meds.

Today is the 8th day and better than the past 2 days. She had her post-op visit this morning and the dr. was very happy with her progess. She still has a low grade fever but he said that's common. Bleeding is something to watch for now, he said, until abound the 10th day, then we should be in the clear.

It's hard to see them go through this! Try not to worry and take one day at a time. Oh, I also slept with her for the first few nights because she woke up a lot from the pain and would need a sip of water or to be comforted. It also helped with giving her the pain medication since I was right there.

Good luck, I know it's stressful. Let me know if you have any more questions; I'm happy to help!

WestwoodDriveMel · February 2012

Oh and you have a newborn too...that's going to be a lot to handle; make sure your DH helps out! I also have a 2 year old... rough week but it will be ok!!!! : )

Pesky · February 2012

DD had her tonsils out a year ago at 3.5 (her adenoids were removed at 2.5). Not going to lie -- recovery is NOT fun. Step by step here you go.

1. Talk to your dr about what to have on hand. Some recommend against dairy, some don't care. It can produce a bit more mucus and thus make you swallow more. Know you will need to avoid red popsicles and jello -- the staining can make it too hard to detect bleeding in the throat. Also citris stuff can sting because of the high acid content. I stocked up on popsicles, slushies and jello.

2. Prep her -- I got a book on getting your tonsils out (that kid made it sound like a breeze and can be for some but not all), plus Franklin goes to the Hospital. Those got her more familiar with the hospital stint (because of her age, she had to stay overnight). I also took her to the bookstore and let her pick a book (Angelina & the Palace) and made a big deal of not reading it until after her operation and showed her I was packing it. Offering to read that book was the only thing that could get her calmed down once in her hospital room. I also got her a unicorn pillow pet to take to the hospital so she would have a special toy.

3. If staying at the hospital, find out if you can pick up some movies for her at their patient relations office. Angelina Ballerina and the Show Must Go On movie saved me. I had it memorized by the time we left but it worked. I also picked up some new ones at the library for us to watch at home.

4. Stay ahead of the pain. Wake her up and dose her. I made DD drink ice cold water and drink her medicine. It was lots of crying. But we did it. Because of this, I kept her in our bed and DH slept in the guest room. That way if she couldn't sleep after I woke her and wanted to watch TV, we could and I would know if she was having issues.

5. Prepare for the mid cycle pain spike. They inject the site with a ton of lidocaine or whatever at the time of the operation. About day 3, that wore off and her pain spiked. I ended up calling the nurse and saying the tylenol dosage they gave me wasn't cutting it and turns out I could give her more at one time, just not as frequently through the day. But that extra ml or two made a world of difference in pain management. So (a) pain might increase around day 3-5 post-surgery and (b) don't hesitate to call if the meds aren't cutting it.

Took about 2 weeks recovery time total. First week was no fun for anyone. But I will say, now that they are out, WORLD of difference -- rarely sick, doesn't complain of throat pain any longer and eats much better. GL!

HopeNotLost · February 2012

My youngest had hers done this past October. She was almost 3 years old. It was more difficult for me I think, because she couldn't talk very well afterwards, and when they brought her into her recovery room, she was still on oxygen because her levels kept dipping. Afterwards though, she smelled really bad for about two weeks, and her nose ran worse than it ever had, but then it got so much better. She has had no issues since, and she can hear so much better. My older daughter is more than likely going to have to have her tonsils out and I have a feeling it will be worse on her just for the fact that she is older.

Raspberry807 · February 2012

DD had her tonsils and adenoids out (and a new set of tubes put in) when she turned 3 and she handled it really well. My mom took the week off work because I couldn't, and just let her lounge around watching cartoons. The 2nd and 3rd days were the worst, and it was tough to keep her hydrated because she just didn't want to put anything in her mouth.

It changed DD's voice, she went from speaking pretty nasally to having a lot of space in her throat. That was interesting!

salesmom · February 2012

My 4 year old had hers out in November. It was harder on me than her definitely.

I was torn on how to prep her but I kept it simple. I told her she was going to wake up with a sore throat but she could have lots of popcicles.

When she woke up she was very angry (she was with her tubes and dental work too). She had a popcilce and went home - we were home within 3 hours!

We kept her medicated all day for 4 days. She never really complained about her throat hurting though. Dr said not to wake up to give her meds - to let her sleep and that worked really well.

One thing they didn't tell me. Her breath smelled HORRIBLE for about 2 weeks. Poor thing wanted to cuddle and it was all I could do not to walk across the room No amount of brushing will help, it has to heal on its own.

I promise its not that bad! Best thing we ever did. Her voice did go up an octave after the surgery.

CMM05 · February 2012

DS2 had both his tonsils and adenoids out in November. He had just turned 2. Our ENT was very honest that it was going to be a rough recovery.

We had to stay the night in the hospital and that was one of the worst parts We weren't even in a room.....we were in a triage area that was for kids who would be there less than 24 hours. It was a nightmare. Imagine trying to contain a 2 year old in a curtained area after surgery. I almost checked us out on my own. At any rate, he was actually eating right after surgery, so I was so optimistic.

But, then the next morning he did not want anything and in order to go home, he had to eat and drink. My mom and I put Sprite in a syringe and were basically forcing it in him so we could be discharged. He also thought the syringe was fun.

My DS actually wanted to eat "harder" things. The nurses were not happy about that, but our doctor said he could eat whatever he wanted.

I agree with others that days 2-4 were the worst. Also, they don't allow them to eat anything red for 2 weeks because there is a risk of bleeding and I guess they want you to be able to see blood vs. red food. So, don't buy red jello!

Stay on top of the pain meds for several days even if she seems better. Around day 5, the scabs supposedly start falling off and so she will be in more pain again.

DS2 was "better" about a week later. He was very clingy and whiny for a week or so. Also, it was really hard for us because he wasn't talking well so we couldn't communicate well.

There is a pain med that they can give you instead of the Tylenol with Codeine. The Tylenol has some alcohol in it and it can burn. I can't remember the name of the other pain med (sorry!), but it didn't have alcohol in it and that is what we got. We were at a Children's hospital, so they were pretty good, but you might want to see if anyone knows the name of it so you can get that. It worked well for us.

GL! It is not easy, but in the long run, it will be great!

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